Running before you can crawl...

Running before you can crawl... copy

Recently i have noticed a pattern in the type of question newbies are asking, especially in the 'your readings' section and i am a bit concerned, now this likely is none of my business....however,it seems that people are jumping into tarot and reading on very important very early on when they havent learnt the basics.

Now i can fully understand everything is shiny and new and you want to explore things, but when you start to read for others but your not ready to start connecting the cards i find it worrying. Small questions are fun to do for friends when you first start, its part of the learning curve. Should you really be reading for people on subjects that can affect their lives, for instance asking about the fidelity of their lover/wife/husband...what impact will it have on the persons relationship, are you giving the information to the person in a responsible manner.

As i say we all make mistakes when first learning, but i think we all need to learn things in stages, perhaps people should crawl, then walk, and then run...not start running when they cant walk.

214red said:

but when you start to read for others but your not ready to start connecting the cards i find it worrying.

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I spent many years reading out of a certain well-known new age shop with two outlets.

One day when I wasn't rostered to work, I wandered in. Now, I know that M. had put me on sight-unseen, without an audition-reading or anything, but I'd been referred to her by people that knew me.

The reader that was on that day, had a brand-new RWS on the table, no client at that moment, and was going through the LWB and writing key-words on the faces of the cards.

The reader's area was curtained off, so M, behind the till, was completely unaware that she had a reader giving $35 readings, at a time when that actually bought stuff, who didn't even know the cards at all.

I was aghast.

I don't see a problem with newbies reading for family and friends about important stuff (or for anyone, really), providing that these people are aware that the reader is a newbie, and understand what that means. In most cases, family and friends probably *are* already aware that the reader is a newbie. I think tarot can only be properly learned through the three "Rs" - readings, readings and more readings. And you have to start somewhere.

I know I gave a few "off" readings to friends when I was starting out, but it was no biggie, because I made sure that they knew I was a beginner, and that they shouldn't take my readings as gospel, or even as advice.

Professional reading, OTOH, is another matter entirely.

@papercut you sound like you were being responsible by reinterating the fact you were a newbie.i do question if others are being as responsible

@nisaba i have seen similar things and i hate it,and i see newbies at fairs etc all the time and you know that they should not yet be charging for readings and it gives readers a bad name....its a profession like others, it shouldnt be a track to a fast buck

I think you were referring to readers here, and generally we are all pretty aware of who here are just learning. For one thing either they say so or it is in their Profile. I would hope that the real life people for whom they read would also be aware that these are new readers and would not make life decisions based on their readings. There is no 'curriculum' for what you can read on and when nor should there be in my opinion. We all learn in own way & in our own time.

I agree that professional reading is another matter. I have not had too many in my life, but I have had some where what they told me sounded like memorized meanings.

i am partly talking about AT and partly about the tarot would in general.

i do wonder how the newbies are delivering their readings to people that they then posting here on AT, and if they are explaining that they are new and its work in progress.

I definitely agree that there are not timelines or curriculums, some people pick it up faster than others, doesnt make it better or worse, there is room in the pot for all of us.

People hear someone is new and will accept that, but they will still be emotionally affected by what comes up in the reading, even if it is just on a gut level. I am with you 214, it is hard to see people doing readings on things that have such profound ramifications. I think they don't understand the affect their words can have on someone's life. Thank you for bringing this topic up.

I agree. But I can't help thinking that it is their sitters that are asking these topics. At this point, it is up to the reader to tell them they are inexperienced and that particular topic is too large for them at this time.

I did that when I was learning and my sitters/friends were fine with it. Of course, I did have other topics in mind for reading when I felt their topics were too much for me.

Sinduction said:

I agree. But I can't help thinking that it is their sitters that are asking these topics. At this point, it is up to the reader to tell them they are inexperienced and that particular topic is too large for them at this time.

I did that when I was learning and my sitters/friends were fine with it. Of course, I did have other topics in mind for reading when I felt their topics were too much for me.

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i understand this, but i was really talking about readers, even if the readers are sitters...does that make sense.

i am specifically talking about readers who are inexperienced and the topic is large, so they have no reader to direct them, they are reading for others

there aren't any small topics, if it is something important enough to ask about.

Do you have a list of what you consider safe subjects?